


The Accident

by sillyboyblue



Category: The Hitcher (1986)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 17:10:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8454811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sillyboyblue/pseuds/sillyboyblue
Summary: Things have changed between them.





	

Jim knew John was ill.

During their game of cat and mouse, he had noticed the symptoms. Excessive sweating, pallor and coughing. He mistook it for a cold at first and did not pay too much attention to it.

After all, John was his enemy back then. He felt no empathy for this murderer.

But things had changed between them. After almost killing John by running him over, Jim had turned around and walked away. When the killer painfully got to his feet, Jim did not have it in him to shoot the man. John walked toward him until he was a step away from him. He held out a hand in the same way Jim had done back in the police station. He had been stripped from his pride.

He had not expected Jim to be so fearless. He had seen the look in his eyes when he pressed the pedal and the motor roared as if hungering for Ryder. Jim knew perfectly what he was doing. This was what John wanted and thought he would never see. Jim had changed. He had adapted to the situation. He had evolved.

Jim rose his pistol on the same level as John's head. One small move and his brains would be all over the sandy ground. But John did not move, frozen with his hand still held out. The expression on his face was peaceful, but Jim knew he was agonizing.

Blood poured from his forehead and nose. He most likely had broken ribs and he was lucky not to have a severed spine. Who knew what other damage Jim's car had done.  
Jim finally felt it. Pity. Pity for this madman without a past, without a family, practically without a name. That is why, because he felt such things, he dropped the pistol to his side. He took John's hand in his right hand, then placed the other one on top of it. His thumb brushed over John's palm. The hitcher's breath caught in his throat. Whether it was from the emotion or from his illness, it did not escape Jim's notice.

He had done it, he had managed to surprise John. He waited for the next move. In this moment, both of them were waiting for each other to act. As he understood Jim would not do anything and that it was his turn, John brought the boy's hand to his lips and gently kissed his knuckles. Not a word was spoken. Jim was shaking and let out a soft moan when John's lips met his skin. He was tempted to draw his hand away, but something prevented him from doing so. He remained afraid of John, despite knowing that the man was injured too badly to do anything and would soon be dead.

John's palms were sweaty. He coughed. He doubled over and Jim took the step that separated them. John gasped and wheezed. He fell to his knees as Jim watched helplessly. He covered his mouth with his hand as his lungs screamed for air. When finally the fit came to an end and he lowered his hand, it was covered in blood.

Jim gulped and helped John to his feet, no longer afraid. He drove to the nearest hospital with the highway killer on his backseat. 

John healed slowly. His body still suffered the effects of going through a windshield, being thrown on a road and run over. He kept many scars and he was limping. He often got back aches that no painkiller could fight off. Something in him had changed. Perhaps this near-death experience had a good effect on him, as it had seemed to have driven his madness away. It was probably temporary but he had stopped killing and Jim was satisfied that at least something good came out of his accident.

He wished however that there was no accident at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Everything is going too fast, but then again when has it ever been slow with these two ? You will soon find out I tend to make John sick/hurt in most of my fanfictions for a reason I ignore. I wrote all of these stories between the time I saw the movie from the first and third time so it may not always be accurate. Bear with me.


End file.
